#as a consultant for some of America’s leading companies

[mariacallous]

America’s first large-scale offshore wind farms began sending power to the Northeast in early 2024, but a wave of wind farm project cancellations and rising costs have left many people with doubts about the industry’s future in the US.

Several big hitters, including Ørsted, Equinor, BP, and Avangrid, have canceled contracts or sought to renegotiate them in recent months. Pulling out meant the companies faced cancellation penalties ranging from $16 million to several hundred million dollars per project. It also resulted in Siemens Energy, the world’s largest maker of offshore wind turbines, anticipating financial losses in 2024 of around $2.2 billion.

Altogether, projects that had been canceled by the end of 2023 were expected to total more than 12 gigawatts of power, representing more than half of the capacity in the project pipeline.

So, what happened, and can the US offshore wind industry recover?

I lead the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Center for Wind-Energy Science, Technology, and Research (WindSTAR) and Center for Energy Innovation, and follow the industry closely. The offshore wind industry’s troubles are complicated, but it’s far from dead in the US, and some policy changes may help it find firmer footing.

A Cascade of Approval Challenges

Getting offshore wind projects permitted and approved in the US takes years and is fraught with uncertainty for developers, more so than in Europe or Asia.

Before a company bids on a US project, the developer must plan the procurement of the entire wind farm, including making reservations to purchase components such as turbines and cables, construction equipment, and ships. The bid must also be cost-competitive, so companies have a tendency to bid low and not anticipate unexpected costs, which adds to financial uncertainty and risk.

The winning US bidder then purchases an expensive ocean lease, costing in the hundreds of millions of dollars. But it has no right to build a wind project yet.

Before starting to build, the developer must conduct site assessments to determine what kind of foundations are possible and identify the scale of the project. The developer must consummate an agreement to sell the power it produces, identify a point of interconnection to the power grid, and then prepare a construction and operation plan, which is subject to further environmental review. All of that takes about five years, and it’s only the beginning.

For a project to move forward, developers may need to secure dozens of permits from local, tribal, state, regional, and federal agencies. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which has jurisdiction over leasing and management of the seabed, must consult with agencies that have regulatory responsibilities over different aspects in the ocean, such as the armed forces, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as groups including commercial and recreational fishing, Indigenous groups, shipping, harbor managers, and property owners.

In December 2023, the majority of offshore wind power capacity was in China and Europe. The United States had just 42 megawatts, but it was about to launch two new wind farms. (Data source: WFO Global Wind Offshore Wind Report 2023.)

For Vineyard Wind I—which began sending power from five of its 62 planned wind turbines off Martha’s Vineyard in early 2024—the time from BOEM’s lease auction to getting its first electricity to the grid was about nine years.

Costs Balloon During Regulatory Delays

Until recently, these contracts didn’t include any mechanisms to adjust for rising supply costs during the long approval time, adding to the risk for developers.

From the time today’s projects were bid to the time they were approved for construction, the world dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation, global supply chain problems, increased financing costs, and the war in Ukraine. Steep increases in commodity prices, including for steel and copper as well as in construction and operating costs, made many contracts signed years earlier no longer financially viable.

Led by China and the UK, the world had 67,412 megawatts of offshore wind power capacity in operation by the end of 2023. (Source: WTO Global Offshore Wind Report.)

New and rebid contracts are now allowing for price adjustments after the environmental approvals have been given, which is making projects more attractive to developers in the US. Many of the companies that canceled projects are now rebidding.

The regulatory process is becoming more streamlined, but it still takes about six years, while other countries are building projects at a faster pace and larger scale.

Shipping Rules, Power Connections

Another significant hurdle for offshore wind development in the US involves a century-old law known as the Jones Act.

The Jones Act requires vessels carrying cargo between US points to be US-built, US-operated, and US-owned. It was written to boost the shipping industry after World War I. However, there are only three offshore wind turbine installation vessels in the world that are large enough for the turbines proposed for US projects, and none are compliant with the Jones Act.

That means wind turbine components must be transported by smaller barges from US ports and then installed by a foreign installation vessel waiting offshore, which raises the cost and likelihood of delays.

Dominion Energy is building a new ship, the Charybdis, that will comply with the Jones Act. But a typical offshore wind farm needs more than 25 different types of vessels—for crew transfers, surveying, environmental monitoring, cable-laying, heavy lifting, and many other roles.

The nation also lacks a well-trained workforce for manufacturing, construction, and operation of offshore wind farms.

For power to flow from offshore wind farms, the electricity grid also requires significant upgrades. The Department of Energy is working on regional transmission plans, but permitting will undoubtedly be slow.

Lawsuits and Disinfo

Numerous lawsuits from advocacy groups that oppose offshore wind projects have further slowed development.

Wealthy homeowners have tried to stop wind farms that might appear in their ocean view. Astroturfing groups that claim to be advocates of the environment, but are actually supported by fossil fuel industry interests, have launched disinformation campaigns.

In 2023, many Republican politicians and conservative groups immediately cast blame for whale deaths off the coast of New York and New Jersey on the offshore wind developers, but the evidence points instead to increased ship traffic collisions and entanglements with fishing gear.

Such disinformation can reduce public support and slow projects’ progress.

Just Keep Spinnin’

The Biden administration set a goal to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, but recent estimates indicate that the actual number will be closer to half that.

Despite the challenges, developers have reason to move ahead.

The Inflation Reduction Act provides incentives, including federal tax credits for the development of clean energy projects and for developers that build port facilities in locations that previously relied on fossil fuel industries. Most coastal state governments are also facilitating projects by allowing for a price readjustment after environmental approvals have been given. They view offshore wind as an opportunity for economic growth.

These financial benefits can make building an offshore wind industry more attractive to companies that need market stability and a pipeline of projects to help lower costs—projects that can create jobs and boost economic growth and a cleaner environment.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Anthropocene Magazine:

Nearly ten times as many people in America now work at Starbucks than dig for coal. Coal mining has long been a canary of America’s energy transition—it lost hundreds of thousands of workers in the 20th century, and has shrunk in half again since 2012. 

Losing dirty, dangerous coal jobs is one thing, but the wholesale dismantling of our fossil fuel economy promises to be far more disruptive. True, but there’s a huge caveat. The bright light on the horizon is that most estimates of new clean energy jobs dwarf even the largest oil refineries and auto plants. 

Winners

1. Everyone (on average). 2021 was a big year for energy jobs globally—it was the first time that more people around the world were working in clean energy jobs than fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Authority (IEA). While the US is still lagging behind that curve, clean energy jobs here are growing at twice the rate of the rest of the energy sector, says the Department of Energy (DOE). And the future looks rosy. Researchers at Dartmouth College calculate that a low carbon economy in the US would create two or even three green energy jobs for every fossil fuel job lost. (That fits with an earlier study out of Berkeley, which found that renewable and sustainable power sources inherently require more people per gigawatt hour of electricity generated, compared to fossil fuel plants).

2. Solar installers and battery makers. Photovoltaic and energy storage companies have been on a tear, adding tens of thousands of workers last year in the US. When considered along with wind, EVs, heat pumps and critical minerals supply, solar power and batteries accounted for over half of all job growth in global energy production since 2019. And the IEA expects these sectors to add tens of millions more jobs by the end of the decade.

3. Some surprise hires. Don’t count out Big Oil and Big Auto just yet. Both the IEA and the DOE expect the fossil fuel industry (particularly natural gas) to hire more workers in the immediate future, albeit at slower rates than clean energy jobs and tailing off in years to come. The IEA notes that if fossil fuel companies could successfully transition to hydrogen, carbon capture, geothermal and biofuels processing, they could almost offset decreases in core oil and gas employment all the way to 2030. It also expects car makers to pivot to EV production, retraining workers and safeguarding many jobs.

Losers

1. Oil workers. Changing careers means more than just a quick retraining session. Morgan Frank at the University of Pittsburgh went down the rabbit hole of what transferring US fossil fuel employment to green jobs would actually mean, and the answer isn’t pretty. His team’s paper in Nature found that green energy jobs are not co-located with today’s oil and gas workers, leading them to predict that almost 99% of extraction workers would not transition to green jobs. And any workers that do make the change face a financial hit. The IEA notes that workers moving from oil and gas to wind, solar and hydrogen today would see pay cuts of 15 to 30%.

2. Petro-states. The shift to green energy will be difficult for economies that rely heavily on fossil fuel extraction and processing. Consultancy EY has an illuminating, interactive webpage allowing you to compare employment in regions around the world, under different decarbonization scenarios. Spoiler alert—oil producing nations in the Middle East and Australia are likely to see employment slump, and even Africa could experience a destabilizing wobble unless it accelerates production of green hydrogen and EV battery materials. “Due to the transition, socio-economic sustainability risks will likely increase as the employment rate drops,” warns author Catherine Friday.

3. Homer Simpson. Some low-carbon energy sectors aren’t exactly booming. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects the employment of nuclear technicians to decline 6% from 2023 to 2033. The US hit peak nuclear power stations in 2012 and has been declining ever since, as facilities age into decommissioning without being replaced. Meanwhile, a planned new generation of safer, cheaper and more efficient fission reactors continues to suffer cost overruns, red tape and delays, and commercial nuclear fusion remains a decades-distant dream. D’oh!

What To Keep An Eye On

1. Labor shortages. Workers skilled in green energy jobs won’t just appear from nowhere. Projects are already facing delays in the EU and the US from labor shortages. Biden’s omnibus Inflation Reduction Act included incentives for partnering with apprentice programs and other funding that could be used to train maintenance workers, and installers for clean energy projects. But millions of workers will be needed, and in short order.

2. Carbon capture. The IPCC estimates that between 350 and 1200 gigatons of CO2 will need to be captured and stored this century. No one really knows yet what the technologies needed to achieve that will look like, but they will likely involve a lot of new workers. Climate research firm Rhodium Group estimated that each gigaton captured could translate to 1.5 million construction and 500,000 operation jobs.

3. Chat (and other) bots for hire. Any predictions about the future workplace should be taken with a large pinch of AI and robotics. The BLS just issued a report that shows dozens of occupations employing hundreds of thousands of Americans are likely to shrink in the years ahead. Top of the list are clerks and supervisors, but there are plenty of manufacturing and production roles at risk, too, that could affect the green energy roll-out.

[zestyaahbutler]

Post some of your Arthur x Amulya headcanons, girl *cracks that whip*

Ack! As you wish homie

ARTHUR AND AMMY HEADCANONS

Amulya never really expected to fall for Arthur. As mentioned in the lore post, she never took Arthur’s incessant flirting seriously at first. It took a couple of tries for her to accept going on a date with him. She originally only thought of their relationship as a short fling on both of their ends.

Arthur did fall for her during their first chat but never thought about marriage till the final week of his trip. It was a last minute decision were he proposed to her in a pretty passionate way. He had taken her out for the entire day, shopping, food, and visiting anything that seemed interesting. That day he only asked that he was able to spoil her to which she finally accepted after pushing back on anything expensive. At the end he told her he wanted to give her that experience every day if it meant he’d have her by his side. Flattered, Ammy said that she loved the date but loved his company even more.

Arthur would ask her if she would like to go with him on his trip back to England to start their life together.

Ammy’s engagement ring was a sapphire ring. A big fancy ring because she’s the jewel of his eye and heart.

Arthur Hellsing is a chronic workaholic. One that looks as if he could never run out of energy till he lays his head down on his desk and is suddenly sleeping like he is about to hibernate for 5 months. Same with in the bed, he sleeps like a log. It’s rare that he lets himself rest. It’s something Ammy had to get used to but she does chastise him about overexerting himself.

Amulya sleeps very differently. She moves a ton in her sleep and wakes up with her hair fluffed up to high ends. Arthur always found it fun to wake to see her with her in the oddest positions, maybe even a limb sticking off the bed. He also definitely loved how her bed head made her look.

She actually pulled strings to take him on surprise vacations to get him away from work. She’d often visit him throughout the day to check on him. It always brightened his day to see her poke her head in. These breaks often lead to Arthur not being available for meetings or consulting over decisions because he became busy doing something else. (Ooh la la )

Arthur prefers drinking Chai tea over any other kind. He became so used to Amulya making it that it became almost routine to drink it. Otherwise he preferred a glass of whiskey/scotch much to his kidneys and her dismay.

Arthur was always very excited to celebrate her birthday. It usually came with a big party, all kinds of food, and likely a big vacation to another country. America, Japan, Brazil, Italy, and Turkey to name some.

Arthur is a big endorser of her fashion sense. He always encouraged her to pick out whatever she felt great in. He is an eccentric man who enjoys having his very happy wife in a funky pair of tights. She’d usually give him a small fashion show if she had gone out shopping when she gets home.

Arthur is little spoon. Big powerful military organization leader loves to be tenderly cuddled by his very short wife.

He also cannot handle spices very well. When Amulya does cook, she’ll usually make two batches, one normal one for herself and the other for Arthur that is very mild.

Despite her being mostly vegetarian, Arthur does eat meat around her. She doesn’t mind of course. Only when he has steak. Then she is side eyeing him. Even more when he teases her to try it.

Amulya put in a couch in Arthur’s office when Integra was a baby. She’d usually take Integra there to spend the day while Arthur worked.

NSFW

Ladies and gentlepeople, you already know their sex life was pretty damn alive. Arthur was very much the same as he was in his youth.

He is on the more vanilla side but still a passionate lover. They’re both very eager to please each other

Arthur has had her put on the female Hellsing uniform for him at least once. Plenty of other costumes too

[mcsquared789]

SLATE / MASTERLIST

Banner by MrSteiners on DeviantArt

The slate for the planned canon rewrite, expansion and in-depth exploration of the ENTIRE Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This includes links to all the projects I've worked on thus far related to the MCU rewrite, as well as lists of what I'm planning on writing next (although, please note that this is always subject to change). And this goes beyond what already exists, as I plan to make high quality novel-length and novella-length fics diving into every corner I can of this big, beautiful universe — that are NOT always based on the movies.

INTRODUCTION

If you want to see the explanation for what and why this is, please check out this seperate post

There are four planned phases for this project:

ASSEMBLE

REASSEMBLE

INFINITY

ENDGAME

The first and second phases are the only ones where the fics in them have additional descriptions. The other phases have only their titles revealed. (See the series description for a rundown of all the major characters that will appear throughout these fics.)

1. All works that currently exist have links to them. If it does not have a link, I have not started writing it — and despite the order that everything is in, I might be skipping some works and circling back to them later for various reasons (mainly when it makes sense, I’m not going to write an Avengers fic until everything else beforehand is done).

2. This is the recommended order, but — unless it's specified — you can probably read any of them without spoiling any other work. There may be references or easter eggs, but unless it's substantial I will not list something as 'required reading' for another fic: start wherever YOU want.

3. If the work isn't bolded, it will most likely end up being the length of a novella (10-20k words). If it is in UPPERCASE, I expect it to be very, very VERY long. This is just an estimate however, and I just don’t know how far these things will go until I start writing it.

4. Lastly, EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

PHASE 1: ASSEMBLE

Iron Man

Tony Stark has to reinvent himself after he witnesses firsthand the consequences of his company’s dealings from the hands of rogue nations. Part 1 of the Iron Man series. COMPLETE (preview)

The Incredible Hulk

Bruce Banner seeks a cure for his terrifying condition while being hunted down by the military forces that intend to contain him. Part 1 of the Incredible Hulk series. COMPLETE (preview)

Iron Man: War Machine

Tony Stark grapples with both the military and rising competition in weapons production, while being unable to find a solution to keep his heart from killing him. Part 2 of the Iron Man series. COMPLETE (preview)

Widowmaker

Clint Barton is sent by SHIELD to kill the elusive ‘Black Widow’, but pressing circumstances form an alliance between them that will change the trajectory of their lives. Part 1 of the Black Widow duology. A novella (~10 chapters). COMPLETE

Thor

Thor is forced to live without power when he causes a war between realms, by being sent to Earth where he will have to learn how to be worthy of Mjølnir. Part 1 of the Thor series. WIP

Captain America: The First Avenger

Steve Rogers enlists to become the first supersoldier to defend war-torn America from the Nazis, which leads him and the Howling Commandos to battle HYDRA in the quest for peace. Part 1 of the Captain America series.

THE AVENGERS

When Loki arrives on Earth with the intention to rule, Nick Fury of SHIELD has to finally assemble his team of heroes to protect the world against this intergalactic threat. Part 1 of the AVENGERS series. An epic (~50+ chapters).

ONE-SHOTS

The Consultant (Tumblr | AO3)

Jasper Sitwell and Phil Coulson sit down to discuss an unusual request from the higher-ups at SHIELD. (after The Incredible Hulk)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (Tumblr | AO3)

Phillip Coulson is taking a road trip down to New Mexico when he is interrupted. (before Thor)

Agent Carter

Peggy Carter is assigned to retrieve a special kind of serum, while in the middle of creating SHIELD. (after The First Avenger)

Sanctuary

Loki searches for newfound purpose, until he wanders upon a sacred place. (before The Avengers)

Item 47

Jasper Sitwell visits a couple who have scavenged and tried to hide alien technology. (after The Avengers)

PHASE 2: ASSEMBLE

These fics follow up immediately from The Avengers.

The Indestructible Hulk

Bruce Banner tries to live with the Hulk and remain a scientist, while experiencing pressure from Tony Stark, Thaddeus Ross, SHIELD… and a new hostile force that seeks to create more Hulks like him. Part 2 of the Incredible Hulk series.

Iron Man: Extremis

Tony Stark, while suffering with PTSD and crippled with doubt, must deal with a new terrorist threat that is also connected to a conspiracy to weaponize genetic manipulation. Part 3 of the Iron Man series.

Thor: The Dark World

Thor maintains order through the cosmos of various realms, until he learns of a new threat that seeks a dangerous power beyond comprehension — that happened to be accidentally found by Jane Foster. Part 2 of the Thor series.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Steve Rogers adjusts to the present day while wrestling with SHIELD’s Project Insight, until a terrible secret exposes the return of HYDRA. Part 2 of the Captain America series.

Secret Empire

A new alliance is formed with the Avengers and former agents of SHIELD, to begin a plan of attack to take down HYDRA. A novella.

These fics are standalone and mostly separated from The Avengers.

Guardians of the Galaxy

A series of events lead to the formation of a new intergalactic group within the corners of the wider galaxy — a scavenger, an assassin, a warrior, a gun-toting raccoon and a talking tree. Vol 1 of the Guardians of the Galaxy series.

Galaxy’s Most Wanted

An alliance is formed between Rocket and Groot, as they break out of prison and establish roots in the vast, intergalactic Hub. Prequel to the Guardians of the Galaxy series.

Doctor Strange

Stephen Strange seeks a new power beyond his knowledge after a terrible car accident… getting what he wants, but also far more than he bargained for. Part 1 of the Doctor Strange series.

Black Panther: T'Chaka

The King of Wakanda raises his children in the great Afrofuturistic nation, while attempting to maintain secrecy of their existence under the continued exploits of arms dealer Ulysses Klaue. Part 1 of the Black Panther/Wakanda series.

The Brotherhood

Due to increasing dissatisfaction within Sokovia, two twins decide to join HYDRA and participate in experiments that will fully reshape the fabric of their own reality. A novella.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

After regaining a powerful item, Tony Stark receives a vision that terrifies him — leading him and Bruce Banner to create a sentient AI that leads to devastating repercussions for the world. Part 2 of the AVENGERS series. An epic (~80+ chapters).

Planet Hulk

Bruce Banner wakes up to find himself in outer space, with a couple of familiar faces. In a trip that takes him from his past to his horrible future, he eventually discovers a world that is suitable for the Hulk… but not for him. Part 3 of the Incredible Hulk series.

Ant-Man

When Scott Lang pulls a simple heist, he is sucked by the Hope family into a seemingly impossible task that requires him to think small… but not too small. Part 1 of the Ant-Man series.

Spider-Man: Freshman Year

When high school teenager Peter Parker is taken on a field trip, he gains unprecedented powers that will shape his life and his place in the world. Part 1 of the Spider-Man series.

Captain America: Civil War

The Avengers are presented with a constitution intended to keep them in check: but after the return of a dangerous ally, Steve Rogers will have to fight for his freedom at the risk of destroying the team. Part 3 of the Captain America series. An epic (~50+ chapters).

ONE-SHOTS

Domino Effect

Something is let loose in Bruce Banner’s lab, and he makes an attempt to contain it. (after The Indestructible Hulk)

All Hail the King

An interview with the Mandarin, the leader of the Ten Rings. (after Iron Man: Extremis)

Helter Skelter

Peter Quill and Drax both join Rocket on a fun ‘team-building exercise’. (after Guardians of the Galaxy)

Ultimo

Vision finds a remaining remnant of Ultron. (after Avengers: Age of Ultron)

The Daily Bugle

J. Jonah Jameson makes a report on the strange little creep that’s been swinging around New York. (after Spider-Man: Freshman Year)

Team Thor

Thor returns to Earth to find that a lot of things have changed… and he decides to lighten up the mood. (after Captain America: Civil War)

PHASE 3: INFINITY

Descriptions of fics to be posted at a much later date.

Captain Marvel

Framed around Civil War, but takes place before Iron Man. Costars Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. Part 1 of the Captain Marvel series.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Takes place a year after Vol 1. Vol 2 of the Guardians of the Galaxy series.

Doctor Strange and the Circle Sinister

Takes place after Civil War. Costars a new character, Clea. Part 2 of the Doctor Strange series.

Release the Flerken

Starring Carol Danvers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. A novella.

Black Panther: T'Challa

Takes place after Civil War. Features a character from the Captain America series. Part 2 of the Black Panther/Wakanda series.

Black Widow

Takes place straight after Civil War. Part 2 of the Black Widow duology.

Secret Avengers

Deals with the fallout of Civil War. Starring Captain America and Black Widow. A novella.

Spider-Man: Sophomore Year

Takes place after Civil War. Features Tony Stark. Part 2 of the Spider-Man series.

Team-Up

Starring Tony Stark and Peter Parker. Features Pepper Potts. A novella.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Takes place after Civil War. An important scene is being saved for a later fic. Part 2 of the Ant-Man series.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch

Takes place after Secret Avengers. Features Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis. Part 1 of the WandaVision duology. A novella.

Thor: Ragnarok

Takes place after The Circle Sinister. Features Jane Foster. Part 3 of the Thor series.

Captain Marvel: Secret Invasion

Takes place before Iron Man, and also after Secret Avengers. Sets up in part the events of Infinity War. Part 2 of the Captain Marvel series.

The Gauntlet

Prelude to Infinity War, featuring the Black Order. Starring Nebula. A novella.

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Part 3 of the AVENGERS series. An epic (~80+ chapters).

ONE-SHOTS

Luis Pays His Taxes

Howard the Duck

The White Wolf

The Uprising

Sanctum

Peter’s To-Do List

PHASE 4: ENDGAME

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Part 4 of the AVENGERS series. An epic (~200 chapters). I’m not joking.

???

This will happen after Endgame. I will not reveal what it is until then.

Everything that follows is extremely vague and not in a strict order. I have some ideas for what this will become, but… I’ll be far too busy focusing on everything that comes before it to consider it in greater detail. Once phase 3 is done, I will have a better idea of where this will go: and let’s face it, it’s gonna take a while for me to even get there. Take everything here with a grain of salt.

WandaVision

Part 2 of the WandaVision duology.

Spider-Man: Junior Year

Part 3 of the Spider-Man series.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Features Captain America.

Hawkeye

Features Yelena Belova.

Armor Wars

Starring James Rhodes.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Features a forgotten character.

Ms. Marvel

Starring Kamala Khan.

Spider-Man: Senior Year

Part 4 of the Spider-Man series.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Features multiple Avengers. Part 3 of the Black Panther/Wakanda series.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Costarring the Guardians of the Galaxy. Part 4 of the Thor series.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Will not feature a major character. Features some Avengers. Part 3 of the Ant-Man series.

The Marvels

Costarring Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan. Part 3 of the Captain Marvel series.

The Holiday Special

Starring Drax and Mantis. A novella.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Costarring America Chavez and Wanda Maximoff. Features Clea. Part 3 of the Doctor Strange series.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Vol 3 of the Guardians of the Galaxy series.

Eternals

Features some Avengers.

Loki

Part 1 of a duology.

???

Part 2 of a duology. Features America Chavez.

ONE-SHOTS (titles only)

Ozymandias

FEAST

The Ship of Theseus

Don’t

Into the Forever

The One Who Remains

OTHER WORKS IDEAS

If everything here is subject to change, these works REALLY are: I don't know if any of them will happen.

Betty Ross

Spiderverse

Civil War 2

Fury + Coulson

You may have also noted that neither of the Defenders series, Agents of SHIELD or Agent Carter (the ABC series) are present in any capacity. I have no intention to bring them in as I have never watched them and I don't know enough about them to include them. I am considering bringing in a character from AoS, but if it happens their role is very likely to be minor. I posit an idea of bringing these particular franchises in at some point... but this is very unlikely to happen.

Thank you for reading! Again, if you have any questions about it please ask me anything and I'll do my best to respond. In the meantime, feel free to follow me if you want to stay updated on this project.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Ryan Ruffaner

Published: May 21, 2024

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has taken America by storm. It’s in almost every public school, college, corporation, and organization you can imagine, including pharmaceutical companies, entertainment companies, and even the United States Department of Defense.

To its critics, DEI represents an insidious Neo-Marxist virus infecting the culture of the West, one that could spell the doom of democracy, critical thinking, and Enlightenment values, leading to the death of the West and America with it.

To its advocates, it is a clarion call to fight what they believe is the greatest struggle of our era—racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia, along with all other forms of identity-based injustice. It is sword, shield, and holy book in the fight for so-called social justice.

Those less zealous yet still supportive of DEI believe that surface-level diversity, particularly of race, ethnicity, and gender, can lead to positive workplace outcomes, such as better leadership. For example, HR consulting company Zenefits recommends that companies “prioritize hiring executives, directors, managers, and other senior leaders from diverse backgrounds,” which includes factors like “gender, gender identities, ages, abilities and special needs, races, sexual orientations, religious backgrounds and beliefs, cultures, and nationalities.”

But even this more moderate brand of DEI falsely correlates leadership ability with diversity status and runs the risk violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Rather than treating each person as an individual with unique attributes, this brand of DEI relies on dubious claims that a person brings benefits to an organization merely by virtue of possessing certain identity-based characteristics. Supporters of diversity-based initiatives therefore often embrace the same kind of broad generalizations about race, sex, and other identity characteristics that civil rights laws were meant to counteract.   

Diversity researchers Alice H. Eagly and Jean Lau Chin are typical of scholars who attempt to justify DEI initiatives based on broad assumptions about identity. In arguing that surface-level diversity leads to better leadership, they say that “leaders and followers from diverse identity groups generally face some degree of pressure to behave like leaders from the majority group” while continuing to “express their own cultures to some extent” and this increases their multicultural competence while explaining some of the challenges that hold minorities back.

These claims rely on two fallacious assumptions that certain characteristics flow necessarily from a person’s identity. First, the authors assume that leaders and followers from “diverse identity groups” feel pressure to behave like the leaders from majority groups because these leaders are from a “majority” group, not because these leaders are in a position of authority that these “diverse” people may want to move into one day. It’s common for people to imitate the behaviors of those they want to be like or those whose benefits they wish to attain. This is why professional speakers study famous speakers and speeches, artists study great artists and art, writers study great writers and writing, and businesspeople study the entrepreneurial strategies of startup titans. We imitate that which we wish to become, and this isn’t necessarily predicated on race or gender.

The second assumption is one that we see far too often: that race and culture go together. Race can be correlated with culture in some cases, but it isn’t all the time. A black man born and raised in Houston, Texas is going to have a very different culture and “lived experience” than a black man born and raised in Ghana or London. A Hispanic woman born and raised in New York City is going to have a very different culture and “lived experience” than a Hispanic woman born and raised in Guatemala or Spain. And a white man born and raised in Nebraska or Oregon is going to have a very different cultural and “lived experience” than a white man born and raised in Sweden, South Africa, or Italy. Race doesn’t always correlate with culture.

Eagly and Chin continue with more broad and unsubstantiated assumptions about identity, saying non-white leaders “may be especially concerned about integrity and justice as they relate to the inclusion and fair treatment of individuals from diverse identity groups.” Although this may sound like a reasonable assumption on the surface, it assumes that these non-white leaders are concerned with inclusion and fairness rather than gaining competence, wealth, power, authority, prestige, or other benefits, let alone that they’ve personally experienced based exclusion and injustice that would make them uniquely sensitive to other minorities’ needs. This assumption also is blind to the fact that there are millions of non-minority people concerned with inclusion and justice for people of “diverse identity groups,” as evidenced by all the white people who fought to abolish slavery and secure civil rights for minorities and continue to fight for “racial justice” and “social justice” today. It is also blind to all the “diverse” people who have committed horrible crimes against other “diverse people,” such as Idi Amin (aka the Butcher of Uganda), Pol Pot, and Mao Zedong, as well as every Hutu who participated in the Tutsi genocide, every non-white person who owned a non-white slave, and every non-white soldier who has ever fought in a civil war against people of the same “diverse” group, to name a few.

Eagly and Chin’s claims include many other unsubstantiated generalizations about identity: that “executives from sexual minority groups might be especially adaptable and therefore embrace change;” that minority leaders may gain certain advantages from their “ability to modify and switch between minority and majority perspectives depending on their immediate cultural context”; that people from minority groups sometimes engage in a “strength-based rhetoric” which may involve “explicit claims that their group’s way of leading is better than those of the heterosexual White man who traditionally have exercised leadership;” and that “individuals belonging to diverse identity groups are often good leaders [because] the experiences that such individuals have had because of their differences from the majority group do confer special qualities.”

All of these claims rely on broad generalizations about beneficial leadership characteristics that supposedly flow from identity.  But we have evidence that the surface-level diversity that Eagly, Chin, and others like them are obsessed with does not necessarily contribute to good leadership on its own.

For example, in a rebuttal to Eagly and Chin, University of Maryland researchers Kristen M. Klein and Mo Wang provide four reasons why surface-level diversity does not equate to strong leadership.

First, we shouldn’t assume that just because someone belongs to a certain identity group they’ve automatically been a victim of discrimination. 

Second, the diversity leadership fallacy assumes that individuals who have experienced discrimination experience long-term consequences to their well-being, but this is not necessarily true either. 

Third, the diversity leadership fallacy assumes that those who have experienced discrimination have integrated these experiences into their life in positive, constructive ways—specifically in ways that improve their leadership abilities—rather than in negative, destructive ways, such as becoming bitter, resentful, or hopeless.  And finally, the diversity leadership fallacy assumes that a person’s surface-level characteristics expose them to more character-building adversity than non-surface-level characteristics, such as growing up in a low socioeconomic background or a single-parent household. But of course this mistakenly assumes that a white person from an impoverished single-parent household surrounded by drugs and crime would have faced less character-building adversity than a black woman who grew up in a safe, wealthy community with two loving, supportive parents. 

You cannot measure the adversity or discrimination a person has experienced purely by their surface-level characteristics. Further, there is no correlation between a person’s surface-level characteristics and the content of their character, or the competency of their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Those who suggest there is a connection are not destroying negative stereotypes, as they may claim. They are merely switching negative stereotypes to a different identity group and continuing the cycle of ignorance and resentment. 

As Klein and Wang point out, “a substantial body of research on deep- and surface-level diversity in the workplace has repeatedly shown that whereas the negative impacts of surface-level diversity decrease over time in workgroups, deep-level similarity (e.g., in values, goal orientations, and personality) consistently predicts positive workplace outcomes (e.g., turnover, job attitudes, team performance).”

While it’s true that some surface-level traits tend to vary with deeper-level qualities—women tend to rank higher on average in the personality trait of agreeableness than men—this doesn’t mean that these traits always vary together, that they have a strong relationship with one another, or that one causes the other. We cannot derive deep-level qualities, such as beliefs, attitudes, values, and skills, from surface-level traits and use these as proxies in employment decisions. Yet this is exactly what many DEI supporters propose.

Hiring and promoting employees, especially for leadership positions, based even in part on surface-level diversity causes enormous harm. Why should employees trust or accept the outcome of a hiring or promotion decision if they know that one of the qualities under scrutiny is an arbitrary characteristic unjustly treated as a competency? Why should people remain committed to an organization if they realize that the trajectory of their future is partially based on surface-level characteristics they can’t change?  Would you truly feel valued as a whole, multi-faceted human being if you knew or suspected that your organization assessed your qualifications based on the color of your skin or your sex? And how could you trust the people around you if you knew that they, too, may have been selected because of their surface-level qualities, not their competence?

However well-intentioned DEI initiatives may be, they rely on fundamentally flawed assumptions and broad, unfounded generalizations about identity, which reinforce old negative stereotypes and create new ones. Competence, not identity, should be the primary criteria for hiring, promotion, and leadership, not arbitrary surface-level qualities like race, ethnicity, or gender. 

Every time an organization encourages people to divide themselves by these surface-level characteristics, the organization entrenches stereotypical thinking and all but guarantees negative organizational outcomes. We shouldn’t encourage people to shackle themselves to stereotypes and call it liberation. Instead, we should hire and promote people based only on their job-relevant experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that have real value. 

We should train leaders to foster shared organizational values, goals, and attitudes among their subordinates which will contribute to deep-level similarities within their teams and the organization over time. We must look beyond the surface and stop pandering to those who would trap us in outdated thinking wrapped in a shiny new public relations pitch.

[fostersffff]

Interview by Soichiro Morita in Weekly Toyo Keizai magazine, Translated by @SupaChronicles (link to Twitter thread) (transposed below, minus the first chunk which is talking about how financially successful Dragon Ball is as a franchise)

In March, the original author Akira Toriyama passed away, much to the regret of many. However, the momentum of Dragon Ball shows no signs of slowing down and continues to accelerate worldwide. Regarding its appeal, those involved unanimously agree: "It's the simplicity. When we analyzed why the games became hits in North America, it seemed that the straightforwardness of 'Let's fight to see who is the strongest,' which can be enjoyed without much thought, resonated with people," said an insider from Bandai Namco Group. Major Uproar Due to "Person-in-Charge Going Independent" Last year, there was an incident that caused an uproar in the business over this work [Dragon Ball]. In May 2023, Akio Iyoku, former head of Shueisha's Dragon Ball Room*, went independent with several subordinates and established a new company, Capsule Corporation Tokyo, named after a fictional company that appears in the series, with the aim of managing creative activities and handling intellectual property rights. Mr. Iyoku became the head of the Dragon Ball Room in 2016 after serving as Editor-in-Chief of V Jump. A Shueisha insider recalls, "Without consulting his superiors, Mr. Iyoku unilaterally decided to make a film adaptation of Toriyama-sensei's 'SAND LAND'. He always focused on serving the author, for better or worse. At the same time, there was criticism from anime production companies and TV networks that he had a condescending attitude." In addition to these evaluations, progress was lacking in collaborations with the metaverse and AI that higher-ups were anticipating. As a result, in 2022, he was reassigned to a new business department. This unwelcome transfer became the trigger and within a year, Iyoku went independent. Taking over the role of Toriyama's spokesperson on behalf of Shueisha, Iyoku's actions raised the risk of Shueisha losing its 'Dragon Ball' rights. "Toriyama-sensei was also dissatisfied with Iyoku being removed, as he trusted him the most. Chairman Marue Horiuchi of Shueisha even went directly to Toriyama's residence in Aichi Prefecture, but he couldn't persuade him to stay," said the aforementioned Shueisha insider. This put Bandai Namco, which had been making a fortune with games with 'Dokkan Battle', in a difficult position. "Iyoku, who was Toriyama-sensei's spokesperson, became independent, but the rights to the manga were managed by Shueisha. It was unclear who to consult regarding matters related to the original work." "Meetings about Dragon Ball were organized very vaguely, with 'all relevant parties' being invited, which subtly included both Iyoku and Shueisha representatives, making the coordination extremely stressful," said the aforementioned Bandai Namco insider. Toriyama's passing occurred amidst this battle over rights. The discussions continued without the original author, and "the disputes have been ongoing and still remain unresolved," noted a Shueisha employee. Some industry executives are looking towards a resolution that involves the family, saying, "It depends on how the family feels about it." The question remains who will ultimate take the lead in managing this massive IP. The future of the bogged-down battle, which is not befitting a shonen manga, remains unclear.

*The Dragon Ball Room was/is a division within Shueisha (publisher of Shonen Jump) that was dedicated exclusively to Dragon Ball, founded in 2016, basically after Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F' reminded everyone Dragon Ball was still unbelievably massively popular.

tl;dr: In 2023, the guy responsible for managing the Dragon Ball IP- Akio Iyoku- decided to break away from Shueisha and form a new company intended to manage the Dragon Ball IP, with Toriyama's encouragement. This was after Iyoku got demoted internally for being more loyal to Akira Toriyama than to Shueisha with some business decisions that are, in my opinion, Very Good and signal him as being an True-Blue Akira Toriyama Guy. Unfortunately, Toriyama's passing occurred while this was all going on, so the situation is really rough, especially for licensors like Bandai Namco (and presumably Toei) who aren't really sure who to consult for forthcoming projects.

[kp777]

By Julia Conley

Common Dreams

July 13, 2024

While applauding the proposal, climate advocates said they would "keep fighting to ensure there's no new oil extraction on a single acre" of the region.

Indigenous groups in Alaska were joined by climate advocates on Friday in welcoming the Biden administration's proposal to expand protections from oil and gas drilling in the Western Arctic, though some groups emphasized that the federal government should not stop with the newly announced effort.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said it was opening a 60-day comment period regarding a potential expansion of areas protected from drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), also known as the Western Arctic.

The announcement comes three months after the Biden administration unveiled protections for 13 million acres of the 23 million-acre reserve, barring oil and gas companies from extraction there.

With wildlife including the 150,000-strong Western Arctic caribou herd, muskoxen, polar bears, migratory birds, and native plants depending on the reserve as their habitat, the Sierra Club said President Joe Biden's moves to designate Special Areas in the region are crucial—especially considering the Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the world.

"If enacted, these proposed protections would be another historic move towards long-term preservation of America's Arctic," said Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program. "The Arctic is at the frontline of climate change. President Biden is making it the frontline of climate action."

"If enacted, these proposed protections would be another historic move towards long-term preservation of America's Arctic."

The group pointed out that further protections would allow the NPR-A to store carbon and provide subsistence hunting and gathering areas for Alaska Natives including the Iñupiat.

Protections like those proposed on Friday, said Nauri Simmonds of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, are "vital for balancing the systematic disempowerment that's happened in our region for decades" as fossil fuel companies—with the approval of administrations including Biden's—have extracted oil and gas in the Arctic.

"In my Aaka's (grandmother's) lifetime, she witnessed the transition from living a traditional lifestyle to experiencing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System being constructed and oil fields erected close enough to her traditional lands to be seen, heard, and lead to evacuations for Nuiqsut (the most impacted village from oil and gas development on the north slope of Alaska) as recently as 2022," said Simmonds. "We welcome this most recent announcement, and will continue to work towards building stronger communities in ways that lead to autonomy and self-determination on our traditional lands."

The BLM said it plans to consult with Alaska Native tribes during the 60-day comment period.

Groups including Friends of the Earth (FOE) and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) expressed cautious optimism about the Biden administration's plan to further protect the largest single unit of public lands in the U.S. from oil and gas exploration.

Raena Garcia, senior fossil fuel and lands campaigner at FOE, called the comment period "a great step toward conserving the Arctic's ecological and cultural significance," but warned that the proposed protections "should not stop at today's announcement."

The Department of the Interior "must establish additional safeguards to prevent the irreversible environmental harm that oil and gas projects like [the Willow oil drilling project] pose to our climate and communities," said Garcia.

Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at CBD, said the entire Western Arctic must "be protected from all oil drilling."

"Anything less is like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic," said Freeman. "If the federal government continues to allow oil drilling anywhere on the reserve, it'll fuel the climate chaos devastating polar bear dens, migratory bird nesting wetlands, and caribou calving grounds in designated special areas. We'll keep fighting to ensure there's no new oil extraction on a single acre."

[unorthodoxsavvy]

The Philver Scream

Thank God It's Friday

Chapter 2

Word Count: 75k

Rated: R

Genre: Horror

Phil bolted upright with a gasp. His breathing was heavy and he was drenched in sweat. The nightmare he’d just had was still fresh in his mind. Throwing the bed sheet off the upper part of his body he grabbed an errant notebook and pen on his night stand he used to write the things down that he’d remember while trying to fall asleep and started jotting down his whole dream. It took him about five pages and twenty minutes to recount everything he’d remembered. Sighing, he flipped through everything he’d just written before closing up the spiral notebook and placing it back on the nightstand with the pen. He picked his phone up and checked the time. It was a little after seven.

The nightmare certainly hadn’t left him feeling refreshed in any way, but more pressing was his bladder. Phil rubbed his eyes, trying to psych himself up to get out of bed and head down the hall to the bathroom.

He pulled the bed sheet of the rest of his lower body and swung his feet to the floor. He had a moment of deja vu, remembering almost a year ago when he’d woken up in this very same bed to the voice of what he now knew was his older brother’s ghost in his head. He took a moment to reflect on that moment and how much his life had changed since. First of all, he’d learned his brother was in fact dead and murdered. He’d learned about what his brother had been working on for years, a project that entailed compiling information on a malicious corporation of philanthropists and scientists looking to profit off a cure for cancer by any means necessary, including testing their experimental drugs on people in a trial-and-error method. Phil knew this would have gone on, leaving a trail of bodies behind, if Martyn hadn’t reached out to him in death and Phil hadn’t reported his murder to the local police, where he met Detective Howell, who he now knew as Dan. He knew they would have continued on like this if he and Dan hadn’t traveled all across southern-central and eastern North America tracking down leads like Dan’s missing, and now dead, father, who’d been kidnapped from the hospital where the company ran their first drug trial. In fact, the FBI had felt like the both of them had done such a bang-up job in uncovering this plot and bringing it to the attention of everyone, including being boots-down at ground zero when the siege took place that they’d offered Dan a position as an FBI agent and Phil an official position as an FBI psychic consultant, both stationed out of the Boston field office. And both had said yes.

As Phil stumbled blearily out the bedroom and down the hall towards the bathroom, he remembered he’d made lunch plans with Dan that afternoon. Dan, who had been in his dream. In fact, Dan was the only person he’d recognized in his dream. He was mildly impressed that he’d been able to make such a compelling dream narrative. The characters were engaging, the plot was fit for a movie, and the whole thing just felt so… real. 

By the time Phil made it to the bathroom he was able to smile at himself in the mirror, though, he still felt and looked like shit. And his throat was sore, and his chest hurt. But other than that, and being exhausted, he felt fine. Certainly not like someone who had just been brutally murdered.

The fear he’d felt had been real and palpable, though. Phil still had residual emotions floating around inside him as he exited the bathroom and crawled back into bed.

A year ago he’d have been up and baking for the coming week for his psychic-slash-bakery business, but since starting an official FBI consulting positon, he’d had to allocate some of that time to taking proper courses and training. Nothing to the level Dan had, though. The bureau had sent him to Quantico for training, where he’d been for the past six months. In fact, this lunch was the first time that Phil would see Dan since he left.

Before Dan had left for Quantico he’d been over at Phil’s apartment when he’d received the call of his mother finally passing. Phil had driven down and back with Dan for the funeral. Things had been emotionally fraught during that time. They got along well enough, but there was tension reminiscent of when they’d first met that hung between them. Phil wasn’t really sure what to expect over lunch, but whatever it was he expected to feel it two-fold. Compliments of his psychic nature.

Phil flopped back into his bed and pulled his phone towards him once more. He set an alarm for ten before placing the phone back on top of the notebook containing all the details of his dream and rolling over to go back to sleep.

*-*-*-*-*

Phil’s alarm lulled him into consciousness. Gone was the heavy breathing and beads of sweat running down the back of his neck, and instead he felt rested, awake, and ready for the day. 

Phil was meeting Dan for lunch at exactly noon at a chain cafe restaurant a few towns over. He was aiming to leave by 11:30, which gave him an hour and a half to get ready. By the time he was showered and dressed it was a little past 10:30, leaving him almost an hour to read the latest book he’d borrowed from the local library, where he was a regular. He settled down on the armchair in his crowded living room, which was still filled with a large fireplace, a table for seances, shelves filled with books and spiritual memorabilia, and so much more. The kitchen lurked behind an island counter that separated the two areas by the front door. It felt strange not to be in there with the lights on and the oven going, but Phil was slowly getting used to it.

Phil shifted his attention back to the book in his hands, trying his best to immerse himself in a fantasy world for just a short time before he’d have to drag himself out into the real world, where the consequences of his feelings and actions mattered, much like the characters in the novel he was reading’s world did. The book was something about a prince that’d been lost during a raid on the castle and a servant boy who’d helped him escape long ago, and when the servant boy grew up he started looking for the prince he’d helped escaped long ago. It was a much more pleasant story than his nightmare had been.

After a few chapters Phil glanced at the clock and with a sigh and a small smile, closing the book and setting it down on the nightstand by the large armchair. He gripped the sides of the chair to help pull himself up from the depths of the cushions. Once on his feet, he padded quietly across the carpet until he reached where the floor turned into hardwood. His shoes were on a small mat next to the door and, balancing on one leg, then the other, he slipped them on. He grabbed his car keys and wallet from a shelf with hooks hanging above the shoe mat and headed outside, locking the front door behind him.

The sun was strong and bright in Phil’s eyes, and he threw a hand up in front of his face as he navigated his way over to the car. He gave the key fob in his hand a double-click and heard his car unlock with a little electronic chirp and pulled the door open. He threw his keys on the passenger seat to climb down in, closing the driver’s side door once he was inside. He grabbed the keys off the seat and pushed the key into it’s ignition, and, with his foot on the break, started up the car.

The ride over to the cafe was a nice enough drive, and one Phil was rather familiar with at this point. He left the windows open as he drove, catching the fresh August breeze as it whipped his hair into a bit of a frenzy. He didn’t mind though. The rush of warm air felt good on his face.

When he exited the car, he felt the sun kiss the exposed skin of his face and arms. He flexed his fingers outwards almost instinctively, as if trying to maximize his surface area to soak as much of the sun up as he could before winter would come all too soon, or as if he were about to reach up towards the heavens themselves. He paused for a moment and closed his eyes, taking everything in. Then he started walking across the street towards the cafe.

Phil looked around the outdoor seating before heading in. He hadn’t spotted Dan outside.

Once inside, the greeter took Phil towards a table that faced a wall with a TV that played the news quietly. Phil glanced up at it briefly before shifting his attention to those around him. Phil could never help but to wonder what people in a restaurant around him were doing. He had a better idea than most. It was easy to see families and client meetings and things of that nature. And reading their facial expressions, even from a distance, was easy enough. But it was more than that.

He could see a couple two tables over that looked like they were on a first date. He could feel their nervous attraction when he focused in on them. 

He could see a child eating a plate of pasta, and feel the enthusiasm that oozed from her at having such a delicious meal.

He could see a girl just a few years younger than him nervously meeting with an older man in a more formal attire than most here, and he figured she was perhaps interviewing for a job.

Phil’s abilities had gotten stronger while trying to hunt down the people who had killed his brother, but so had Phil. When it came to the every day things, like sitting in a restaurant, or going shopping at the grocery store, Phil finally, for the first time in his life, felt like he had a handle on things. And, he noticed, now that he wasn’t put in as many life-threatening or emotionally harrowing situations, his outburst of energy were nonexistent. Eventually Phil wanted to work on trying to draw from that well deep within him and use his newfound abilities in a casual, day-to-day setting. He wondered if he could, perhaps, do the dishes with just his mind, or something. He’d tried, here and there, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to put the full effort in yet. He had all the time in the world, he figured, to figure himself out. There was no rush.

Lost in his thoughts, making a lazy attempt to raise the fork by his plate without his hands, he hardly noticed Dan walk into his vision and take the seat in front of him. What he did notice, however, was the fork just slightly off-center. He casually moved it back into place like nothing had happened.

“Hey,” Dan grinned. He seemed… happy.

“Hey,” Phil smiled back nervously.

“How’ve you been?”

Phi; shrugged, still smiling. “‘Bout the same as last time we saw each other. How’re you doing?”

“Great,” Dan nodded, that grin still plastered across his face. Phil had never seen Dan like this. It was a nice change.

“I can tell,” Phil observed.

Dan seem to pick up on the open-ended question Phil left in the air,but ignored it, instead gesturing to his menu.

“Have you taken a look?”

Phil waved a hand in the air. “No, I haven’t, but I already really know what I like here. Just a matter of deciding what I want.”

Dan grabbed his menu and held it at an angle he could read it and still talk to Phil over the top.

“How’s the business been?” He asked.

Phil glanced down at his own menu, picking it up and opening up the front cover.

“Good, actually, all things considered with cutting my days down and such.”

“How’s that working out for you?” Dan asked.

Phil nodded as he spoke, as if reaffirming with himself. “It’s going fine. It’s nice to have more free time, but I do miss being kept as busy as I used to be.”

“How’s the FBI training going?” Dan asked. 

“Pretty well, thanks. Don’t really know if what I’m learning will be of any use, but it’s something different at any rate. How about you?”

Dan put down his menu as if he’d been waiting to talk about this very thing.

“It’s going great. My instructor is amazing. He says I have real potential.”

Phil nodded enthusiastically.

“He’s so awesome. It’s honestly an honor to be working with him. I think I’m on track to being the top student in my class.”

“That’s great, Dan!” He looked back down at the menu, but it seemed as if Dan wasn’t finished.

“He’s done a lot of cool stuff already and he’s only a bit older than me.”

Phil tilted his head a bit. He was a bit older than Dan. Had he not done a lot of cool stuff? I mean, he literally had magic powers or whatever. Superpowers. He was like. A superhero. 

Phil’s smile tightened just a bit and he nodded again to show support.

“It’s great, it’s just really great…” Dan trailed off and looked back down at his menu. Phil shuffled his feet under the table as he stared at the menu. He felt the waiter approaching their table before he saw her.

“Can I get you guys any drinks to start off with today?” she asked, pulling out two cups and pouring them each a glass of water.

“I’ll have a strawberry lemonade,” Phil smiled politely up at her as she placed his glass in front of him.

The waitress turned to Dan as she filled his glass.

“I’ll have a coffee, black, please,” He replied politely but curtly. 

She gave a nod as she scribbled in her little book, placing the pitcher down on the table to do so.

“Aaaalright, and have we had time to look at the menu?”

No, because Dan was talking the whole time, Phil thought to himself instantly. He pushed that thought away immediately, though. It was nice to have Dan happy and chipper. And they weren’t fighting. He was glad that Dan was happy. Maybe some of that happiness would be directed at Phil.

“I’ll have a plain cheese pizza, small, please,” Phil ordered without really thinking about it.

The waitress turned to Dan.

“I’ll have a small pizza with mushrooms and peppers,” Dan smiled.

“Alright, I’ll have those drinks out to you shortly,” the waitress collected the menus from them as Phil glanced at Dan.

“I thought you didn’t like peppers?”

“I don’t, but Jake had me try some on pizza one night, and it was actually pretty good.”

“Whose Jake?” Phil tried to ignore whatever pang of jealousy he was feeling in his chest.

“My instructor.”

“You and him seem really close,” Phil probed, hating himself for it. What did it matter? It’s not like he and Dan were partners or anything. They just both knew each other from a case they had worked on together before and were now both in the FBI because of it. They weren’t really friends. Dan had only really invited Phil to his mom’s funeral because Phil was there when Dan had gotten the call that she had passed, and Dan’s mom had liked him. Maybe it was because Phil didn’t feel like he had any other friends.

“I wouldn’t say we’re like, super close or anything, but we hang out outside of class sometimes,” Dan explained, oblivious to how Phil was feeling. For once Phil wished the roles were reversed and Dan could feel how much he was hurting. Being able to feel how Dan felt about his instructor made it all the worse for Phil. He wished he could just shut it off.

“And not everyone in your class does that,” Phil clarified, pushing himself deeper and deeper into the hole he was digging himself.

“Well, no, it’s just me. So, I don’t know, maybe we are close.”

Phil’s grip on his glass tightened as he drank. At least I haven’t shattered it,” Phil thought to himself. Yet, added the negative voice in his head.

Phil ignored what looked like cracks in the glass.

Thankfully at that moment the waitress returned with Phil’s lemonade and Dan’s coffee.

Phil could smell the richness coming off Dan’s coffee and it reminded him of long drives in the car with Dan over last year. He yearned for that now. A part of him wanted to ask Dan if they could run away from all of this together, start over in a new town, make new friends they had together and shared, and maybe found someone they could fall in love with…

Or maybe Dan had already found someone like that for himself and Phil was the one left standing holding the bouquet at the end of the wedding, waiting to find his own Prince Charming.

“What’s the matter?”

Phil looked up from his glass.

“Hmm?”

Dan smirked, cocking his head. 

“I know that look. What’s on your mind?”

“My own thoughts, for once, instead of other people’s.”

“Isn’t that what you’ve been wanting?” Dan asked.

Phil tilted his head from side to side in contemplation.

“Yes, it is. I didn’t realize how loud and painful my own thoughts and emotions could be, though.”

Dan reached over and grabbed Phil’s hand, something he never would have done a year ago. Phil nearly recoiled in shock.

“Tell me, Phil, what’s wrong.”

Phil opened his mouth to start saying something, anything, when the TV news caught his attention.

“Thanks, Gene. It happened here late last night: seven mutilated bodies found strewn about the 300 acre Texas campground behind me. An idyllic summer setting turned to tragedy a mere 24 hours after children went home for the season. Authorities are baffled by the lack of leads, having recovered only a machete with no discernable finger prints. Reporting live from San Antonio, I’m Roy Merkin. Back to you, Gene.”

The camera panned to blurred out images of dead bodies in a forest Phil recognized all too well.

Phil yanked his hand back.

“Oh my god.”

“Phil?”

Dan turned to look at the television screen behind him.

“What is it Phil?”

“Those kids…”

Dan turned back to look at Phil.

“I think I killed them.”

[principiumindividuationis777]

Curtains Fall Lightly (Historical Noir)

Chapter I

At a leading manufacturer of aircraft, especially military aircraft, in the Summer and Autumn of 1963, events unfolded as described.

Philip Morris was a dying man, having received a dire prognosis from his physician. A leading contact between the firm and United States government agencies, he attempted to teach the much younger George Blythe to replace him, briefing Blythe on a situation as grim as Morris's own.

"Young man, you must understand that this company is under attack from within. It's not the Soviets primarily, but a woman named Rosalind Kerr, ostensibly a consulting advisor. Even I don't know who she works for, but she uses blackmail of our board and our employees to advance her own position, and what she wants, as far as I can tell, is an escalation of warfare, in any and all parts of the world, to increase sales of our aircraft, receiving a generous percentage in her own accounts of the resulting profits and cash flow."

"The compromising data is seldom obtained by Mrs. Kerr personally, you understand," continued Morris, "But by her mousy little male secretary, Joseph Wheedle, aptly named if ever anyone was. I have never seen anyone so good at a show of false humility, and he gains trust, and thereby ruins lives."

"Why does he share this information with Mrs. Kerr?" asked Blythe.

"Ah, that's the key. I have rumor and conjecture. I believe that Wheedle, some fifty years old and unmarried, may have homosexual tendencies, taboo to many, even illegal, and that most likely Mrs. Kerr knows this and compels him to share in her goals, and to share his ill-gotten gains with her."

Morris added a hint that perhaps Blythe should uncover proof of Wheedle's secret life, to leverage against him, and continued to explain the company's sinister cabal.

"Now, as you can see, Kerr is a woman, and not a young one, and Wheedle is a small man of little physical prowess. When blackmail is not an option, they have a man, Michael Pocius, though I am one of the few who knows Michael's real name. Nearly everyone calls him 'Clawboy'. He was born elsewhere, but by age fourteen, was a student in America, and at that age, did something so gruesome to the Principal of his school that the papers would not describe it, but the nickname Clawboy has been with him since. Do you remember the Cleveland murders of the 1930's? The ones even Eliot Ness couldn't solve? No? Well, such is your youth. I have every reason to believe Pocius was the culprit, though he deflected blame on to some mental hospital patient. Six foot three and never gave man or woman a quick death, he is as dangerous as they come, and he works for Kerr, who pays him well, though he will still hurt most anyone for sport."

"Why isn't he arrested?"

"Because Wheedle has compromising information on policemen and judges too."

"Surely, not all of this company is part of Mrs. Kerr's plot?"

"No, just those three, as far as I know. In this wing you will find Ramon Germanos, as he is legally known. It may be a poor translation of his Spanish name- he's from Mexico- but that is beside the point. He is a bitter bureaucrat who obstructs everyone in his path. His father died in a riot, I hear, and he hates the system for failing him."

"If he hates the system, isn't this company the essence of, well, the system?"

"Exactly, and from this very vantage point he can make life miserable for the people he quietly and, technically, law-abidingly hates, which is all of us."

"A job much like mine is done by the less experienced Leonard Collins. He is loyal, but much too impulsive for such secretive work, I believe. The one other person you'll need to know of is someone I know only as Three Eyes- never knew his real name. He's from India, I think, and every now and then you'll have to meet him at a planned location so he can give you the latest on Soviet aircraft, giving us, and the USA, a great advantage. Three Eyes is a spy, though I don't know who he works for- some say Britain, but I'm unsure, and now, if you'll excuse me, I am rather tired, so I'm going to rest in my office."

Chapter II

Morris had not considered Ramon Germanos's wife, Jayne (maiden name unknown), important enough to mention, and this is understandable. As far as the world knew, she was a bleach blonde imitation of Marilyn Monroe, but without the talent. Relying on Ramon's money, she had a résumé of only a few unprofitable films of the lowest quality, such as "Snake Women of Acapulco"… or so she wished the world to believe.

Morris also failed to mention Trenchcoat, often just called Trench. His existence was considered something of a legend. From the aeronautics firm up to governments around the world, many had heard the legend of Trenchcoat, but most disbelieved in it. The stories went that he was supposed to live in an abandoned building somewhere near this airplane manufacturer, and though some CIA agents initially took the stories seriously enough to search abandoned buildings around the city, no trace of this semi-mythical being was found.

No one had ever seen Trench's face, though some claimed to have heard his voice, either by telephone, or in person, in his pitch black lair, they said, though these supposed witnesses were often less than credible. No one knew Trench's agenda or loyalties, or if he even existed, at least not until Mrs. Kerr's schemes brought matters to a head.

Finally, in my attempts to keep the stranger than fiction nature of this report comprehensive, there is Linda Aeons (real name unknown), the only person in America who could openly assert being a Soviet agent and remain at liberty, because no one believed her. Supposedly a Romanian immigrant, she would hang around important government and corporate buildings, point her fingers like a hypnotist, believing that she was hexing passersby, mainly the employees, go into strange dances, have conversations with spirits (or so she claimed)… aside from several stays in mental hospitals, which generally found her to be harmless, as she never became violent, no institution took Linda seriously.

Having apprised the reader of those involved, the reader can now understand what transpired that fateful year. (Excuse the poetic touch, dear reader.)

Chapter III

George Blythe quickly became acquainted with the ways of Ramon Germanos. Blythe filed a report comparing American and Soviet aircraft, only to have Germanos interfere and claim it was "written unprofessionally". When Blythe asked how he should change it, Germanos replied, "You are supposed to be a professional. You should know." Thus, a report he could have finished in two days took four rewrites and three weeks to meet with Germanos's grudging approval.

Blythe once sneaked into Germanos's office, and found a treatise on anarchism. Confronting Germanos with it, Ramon explained it away as "understanding subversives- to defeat them, we must understand them." With what Morris had told him, however, Blythe doubted this explanation.

This soon became moot, however, as Germanos overplayed his hand attempting such obstructive tactics against Rosalind Kerr. Soon after this, photographs of a most graphic nature, proving what many already knew, became widely available within the firm, and to law enforcement, and to anyone else who wanted the information that they contained.

Ramon Germanos had married Jayne to keep up appearances, but much preferred men. His face was very recognizable in the photographs, but the other man's face could not be seen. Philip Morris, however, though by now like a walking cadaver, and straining to speak, insisted that the other man was Joseph Wheedle, and told Blythe that, to undermine Mrs. Kerr's schemes, Blythe needed to prove this.

"How could I prove it? We can't see his face."

"W-we [here a coughing fit interrupted Morris's speech]… we can see a scar on his ribs, near his left elbow… here. Prove Wheedle has this."

Blythe could think of only two ways of proving this: One would be to find some reason to have Wheedle throughly searched, but no such reason could be found. The other was far more distasteful to the very heterosexual, as some might later say, George Blythe, but he went through with it.

Not an unattractive young man from Wheedle's point of view, Blythe saw enough of Wheedle one night to be certain that yes, Joseph was the other man in the photo.

In the meanwhile, however, Ramon Germanos had done in himself, and Blythe, himself more than a little shaken over how he had to obtain the information on Wheedle, went off drinking at various bars during work hours, rather against regulations, and at one such bar, met with, it seemed, a grieving Jayne, but it was there and then that we would find that the sad-eyed blonde was a myth, and a cold heart and head lived beneath that façade.

Chapter IV

A less than sober Blythe had mentioned to Leonard Collins his encounter with Wheedle, and Collins thought that he might try the same, but with the more drastic aim of ending Wheedle's life, hoping this would put an end to Mrs. Kerr's hold over the corporation. Ransacking Wheedle's place to make it look like a robbery, Collins reported to an abandoned building, an old warehouse, devoid of any lighting, proudly boasting of what he had done.

"I did it Trench. Got that little scoundrel once and for all, and even if Mrs. Kerr has his info, she'll be too scared now to act."

An eerie, quavering voice replied out of the darkness, none too pleased.

"You foolish whelp. Kerr has ten times the physical courage of Wheedle. You should have killed her to frighten him. Employing you was my biggest mistake. This is an easier death than Clawboy would give you."

A dim shadow in the room's darkness flung a knife at Collins, hitting his target, and Collins was never found.

Chapter V

At the bar, Jayne, red eyes and running makeup, seemed to be the most pitiable sight Blythe had ever seen, until his vision began to blur, and over he fell, dead. Jayne looked confused and frightened. The bartender assumed that George had just been drinking too much, and would soon recover.

Jayne kept up her dumb blonde act for about three blocks, then her face set to stone, and she got in a car with an up-to-date telephone, calling the man Collins would refer to as Trench.

"Blythe was drinking on the job. I made the drink his last."

"You always were one for drastic action, but I suppose weak wills have no place in our line," replied the same strange, quavering voice, though distorted a bit by the phone.

"Say, Trench, aren't you concerned someone might bug our phones?"

"No, because the man they send to do that had a car accident, Jayne. They don't make brake lines so reliably in those foreign makes."

Needless to say, even when coroners found the poison, no one suspected the grieving, not overbright widow, as they reckoned her, but authorities were out looking for someone who fit their idea of a dangerous spy or criminal.

"One more thing before you hang up, Jayne: You must act against Mrs. Kerr now. Wheedle swore revenge if anyone got him, and something terrible is coming. Kerr would take full advantage of it. No time to explain. Take care of her. You know how."

Chapter VI

Jayne, seemingly an intoxicated mess, sobbing for "Ramon", went to Kerr's home, as if to seek a maternal figure. Kerr disdained the girl utterly, considering her, as she had once said to Wheedle, "a waste of hair dye", but did not want Jayne to make a scene outside her home, a home always watched by agents of more than one country.

Inviting Jayne, who acted as if she could barely stand, into her home, Mrs. Kerr sent Carlos, her servant, to get coffee for Jayne. By the time Carlos returned, Jayne had already dispatched with Mrs. Kerr, using Dim Mak, I am told. As an unfortunate witness, a petrified Carlos discovered that Jayne, like Trench, was an adept thrower of knives.

Rosalind Kerr being gone, Clawboy had no loyalties, but would continue to be the most physically dangerous criminal on the streets, for profit and sport, beginning with an armored car robbery in early November, 1963, an incident that left two guards dead.

What Trench said about Joseph Wheedle's threats was, according to the best sources, true. He had threatened more than once that if anything happened to him, he had a "Communist cell" that would "remove" the most important man on Wheedle's long list of compromised individuals, and the "cell" did so, on November 22, 1963.

Chapter VII

By the end of November, several more robberies and deaths, some too terrible to describe, marked wherever Clawboy had traveled, hitting several cities so that a pattern would not, by most, be noticed.

Some took notice, however, including Jayne. She was back on the car phone.

"I know Clawboy has no agenda anymore, but in a way, he is off his leash. Enough more of this, especially if he did too much in one city, and it would worsen the crisis in public trust that is already inevitable, after what happened to the President, and given what the new President is."

"You are correct, Jayne," said the by now familiar, quavering voice, "And I intend to act."

"You know better than anyone where he is, Trench. Just tell me and I'll do it."

"Jayne, have you ever read of Clawboy's idea of amusement back in Cleveland? You are a deadly woman, but if you and Clawboy ever met, you would go that way. I must insist. The only person alive better at violence than Clawboy is me, and I must do this one personally."

Chapter VIII

A limping, elderly hobo hobbled down a rural road not far from Baltimore. A blue Bel Air drove up behind him, driven by a grinning Michael Pocius, who thought he would play some games with the old man.

Clawboy drove the car directly at the hobo. There were no witnesses in sight, so it was just the two of them. The old man managed to throw himself to one side, but could not return to his feet. Pocius parked his car on a dime, and got out, strutting triumpantly and chuckling, pulling out a knife in his gloved hands, one with a finely carved handle.

The transient seemed resigned to his fate, smoking one last cigarette, as Clawboy, like Trench and Jayne, was about to practice his knife throwing skills, but suddenly, Pocius fell over, and was obviously no longer living when he hit the ground.

The "cigarette" had been a blowgun, and one assumes, the "elderly hobo" was an elaborate disguise of Trenchcoat.

Philip Morris passed away in 1964, and last I heard, Three Eyes and Linda Aeons had joined a commune in the vicinity of San Francisco, California.

Sincerely,

Trenchcoat

[thedosianexplorer]

Hagging Out - Veneration

This is a prose-only entry this month (click here for the adorable prequel image) and it is late because, well, *gestures at this human existence in 2022 America*. I haven’t shared my writing in some time but it is one of the many ways I venerate privately. Content mentions for US current events re: the Club Q/Pulse shootings, Supreme Court rulings, the general experience of being a queer American and former Catholic. Other relevant content mentions are in the tags below!

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Veneration used to mean a holy water font booked to the door, laminated prayer cards, statues of Mary that were given to the students who learned their catechism the fastest, the clack of rosary beads. Plastic, wood, metal, semiprecious stones. Clouds of incense wreathing our church calendar and our photo of Pope John Paul II. These things were in my childhood home to remind me that down the road was the church, and we had to show that we acted like we were in that church always. God, the Son, the Spirit, Mary, all the angels and saints, and the host of beloved dead. The Church Triumphant trumpeting loudly onto focus on every room. I made my first shrine this way, to Mary. Besides the obligatory Precious Moments crucifix nailed to my wall (yes, really, these exist), my shrines were to her, my prayers to her, and besides her, the saints, the Spirit, and the angels preoccupied me. I am proud to be an apostate of my old faith, but I was born on a Marian feast and she of any of them can find me still. Now she just has to share space.

My shrines are one of the first things you see walking into my home. They’re like comfortable seats for surprise visits from friends or older relatives. Veneration is still an act, but it no longer feels like a graded performance. This is my home and my temple. My gods know where to find me.

It is the first day of November and my partner is in the worst pain I have ever seen him in, which is saying something about a man for whom subluxations are a frequent enemy. Frigg finds me in the medicine cabinet pulling together the medications that can stand in for the stronger stuff in a pinch. Her light is a thrum across my shoulders as I call dentists, wrangle insurance, make sure there is enough food in the fridge. I often ask Her to help me find abundance and work with it. Patience yields a lead, an open appointment later in the week when every other clinic won't be open until March. The clinic opens doors with a referral, a consultation just five weeks away. The medications start to work. At Frigg’s altar (my kitchen) I mash up leftovers of beef stew and stir in dried basil I grew for Her.

Freyja has another cat for me and this one looks like he’s here to stay. I take care of the outdoor cats as a devotional act because She has kept mine safe. I’ve rehomed many strays over the years and gotten young ferals used to human company. Cryptid came to me just before Samhain two years ago, and this year the Sunday after Samhain my partner found a little black kitten curled against our porch. Within minutes, my partner decided. “His name is Zagreus.” It was the afternoon before the temperatures would drop below freezing at night, and he was barely weaned. His eyes were still blue and he clung to us immediately. I brought him up to Her shrine to say hello, and to ask for help getting him to the vet. As it happened, there was an opening at the same time I had to drop Cryptid off for surgery (this is an exceptionally rare occurrence at my vet). He is healthy, and the other cats have accepted him and taught him their catlore with a readiness that surprised us both veteran cat owners. He’s sleeping next to me now, and his eyes are turning a brilliant amber.

Cryptid’s surgery comes on a Wednesday, Odin’s day. I offer strong coffee for safe travels and our Lyft drivers are swift- they even wore masks! I am wrung-out with anxiety but of all my gods he understands that. Even though I ache through with stress and the toll of new kitten energy I feel cajoled to a Wednesday night walk, my usual ritual with him. I go, and go, and walk farther than I expected, and the old man smiles with a gift: a pristinely kept, solid wood and wrought iron coffee table the perfect height for my reading chair just… placed under a streetlight by the dumpster. He has left other gifts this way- a natural quartz point smoothed with years of rain, a solid copper candle-holder, and now this ideal replacement for the table that just broke. I whisper, “Odin give me strength” and somehow I can heft this heavy thing all the way home.

Macha is who I turn to when I am tired of running or being beholden to the whims of unjust rulers. She knows the burdens of both well. Until February (or longer), all of my student loans are forgiven now but a single Trump-appointed judge in Texas just decided to derail the already delayed day that forgiveness comes to pass. Now it’s up to the Supreme Court who have already decided to curtail my rights in other ways to decide. I didn’t have much to talk about with Her besides that coming right after the midterms, but I was glad to have Her shrine to stop at and catch my breath. 

The Transgender Day of Remembrance falls on a Sunday, Hel’s day in my home. Each year I write the names, light the candles, sing the death songs, and this year it comes early. The news from Colorado Springs finds me in 2022, about to sleep, and in 2016, in the memory of too-bright hotel sunlight. The way of the gods is not linear and neither is grief. In my bedroom my partner and I check on friends and pray. I remember the Sunday morning when the joyful frenzy of AnimeNext fell silent with 49 names from Pulse. Hel is there as I walk the convention floor and listen to a mother’s worry that she wants her teens to be safe wearing those flags with their costumes. I do not tell her that my family doesn’t know I’m queer, that this is the first time I have heard a mother want her children to be out and proud. I tell her something but the words are lost with the sight of her daughter watches the doors behind her friends’ backs and fidgeting with the flag draped over her shoulders. Hel guides me home, bone-white and corpse-blue, cloaked in late autumn fog. She is with me, cemetery silent, in the late hours of grief. For hours I weep for people I will never know. She is much larger than I, and shoulders the weight of what I cannot. I make crockpot applesauce spiked with red wine and honey to warm us both. 

Badb is never far. She found me first, before I knew Her by name. I can find Her in rage, in fear, in triumph. This month has brought it all in plenty. I offer pomegranate wine and angrily wrest my peace back from all that subdues it. She is with the part of me that is left when I think there are no more logs to toss on the fire, the choice in every ember to catch or snuff out entirely. She guides the discernment to see which is needed. 

Mórrígan shares war wisdom and cold comfort as I wait on hold with insurance to remind them that, yes, I do still need the medication I’ve been prescribed since birth and yes, that medication I have taken every day for the past twelve years too. I pour out the acid in the pit of my stomach and imagine it full of the chilly cave water that runs through Her fit abode. I drink my ice water and the panic attack passes. A crow flies overhead as I walk the several miles to the pharmacy. I spoke up and my medication is the cheapest it’s been in years. I honor Her with the victory.

Loki popped in the last Tuesday of November to tell us that if we didn’t take a fucking break we’d keel over. By which I mean, we found ourselves with a massive Postmates coupon, a rainy drizzle, toasty pajamas, our massive beanbag chair and five cats that want nothing more to hibernate with us. I usually bake with them but as tired as I am, I know he enjoyed the heaping portion of tiramisu and cannolis. Even though we only had a few free hours that night it felt like a whole day of rest. 

[girlgamesnetwork]

Girl Games Network #2 (31/5/23)

Welcome back to the Girl Games Network Newsletter, a weekly roundup of games industry news and releases aiming to highlight the female and non-binary people working in games.

Summer Games Done Quick Returns!

From the 28th May to 4th June, 2023 the annual speedrunning fundraiser Summer Games Done Quick is back on Twitch raising money for Doctors Without Borders. Many of the runs are taking place at the Hilton Minneapolis, Minnesota for in-person attendees and VOD recordings of the runs can be found on GDQ's YouTube page afterwards.

Some runs and runners of note this time include :

31/5 Shadow the Hedgehog - Gamecube by MetalMedB (Glitchless Bidwar)

1/6 Golf It! - PC by Nichole Goodnight & Bathinjan (Classic First 5 Maps 100% Race)

1/6 Give Me Toilet Paper! - Switch by Asuka424 (Hand%)

2/6 VVVVV - PC by Metroid Crime (Any% Glitchless)

2/6 Pokémon Colosseum - Gamecube by Swiftalu and Sparkle (Any% Race)

3/6 Fire Emblem Engage - Switch by Claris (Any%)

4/6 Super Mario Maker 2 - Switch by TheRileyC, Aurateur, PangaeaPanga, TanukiDan, Shoujo, Caspur189, LilKirbs and Thabeast721 (Relay Race)

In addition to SGDQ, GDQ hosts charity speedruns throughout the year and gives a spotlight to female and non-binary runners in their Frame Fatale events. On-site and remote volunteer registration for the next FF event  "Flame Fatales'' will be open from the 9th-17th of June if this week's show inspires viewers to contribute.

As with every GDQ event for the last six years, programmer and artist lexyeevee (Fox Flux Deluxe) is hosting a game jam concurrently on itch.io, this time called "Games Made QVIICK??? HD REMIX", which will be running until the 5th of June.

https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule

https://www.twitch.tv/gamesdonequick

https://eev.ee/

https://itch.io/jam/games-made-qviick-hd-remix

Super Free Games Faces Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

Former Super Free Games (Word Collect) employee Haley Bowman (Sonos) filed a lawsuit in the San Francisco Superior Court on the 11th of May, 2023 against the company for gender discrimination, unequal pay and being terminated while pregnant.

Super Free Games, formerly known as Super Lucky Games is a word and trivia game developer owned by the Stillfront Group and based in California with global remote employees, mostly across America. Although their careers page boasts a "flat management model" and insists on valuing a work-life balance, Bowman's case alleges "cronyistic" hiring practices, backed up by an anonymous former employee's review on Glassdoor.

In 2022, a Marketing Department Reduction in Force Committee was established at SFG and asked Bowman to leave her managerial marketing position for a position with a 20-26% pay cut in production on the grounds that she "had poor communication issues and created a level of mistrust with UA [the User Acquisition Team]". In her case, Bowman has said that there were no issues between her and UA. When she refused to take the cut and role change, she was terminated two months into a pregnancy she alleges SFG knew about and that her firing was falsely presented as a workforce reduction externally.

In addition to this, the lawsuit alleges an "unmistakable bias" against women, who make up less than a third of SFG, often being excluded from important meetings and social opportunities. Bowman also was not consulted on the marketing decisions that were key to her role in the Marketing division. SFG have not made any statements regarding the case as of two weeks after the filing.

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/discrimination-lawsuit-filed-against-san-franciso-game-developer/

https://superfree.com/careers/

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/super-free-games-receives-lawsuit-that-alleges-biases-against-women

https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-bowman/

https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Super-Free-Games-RVW55119549.htm

https://www.stillfront.com/en/stillfront-group-acquires-super-free-games-a-leading-developer-of-casual-word-games/

News of Note :

Excellent fan-art of a new Zelda NPC https://www.tumblr.com/koyoriin/718151838948573184/so-she-might-not-be-a-major-character-but-violynne

Bandcamp United formed after a 31-7 vote by eligible Epic Games-owned Bandcamp employees https://linktr.ee/bandcampunited & https://blog.bandcamp.com/2023/05/19/bandcamp-and-bandcamp-united-release-joint-statement-on-union-vote/  

Layoffs at Brace Yourself Games (Crypt of the NecroDancer) https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/report-brace-yourself-games-lays-off-half-its-staff and Deck Nine Games (Life is Strange : True Colours) https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/life-is-strange-dev-deck-nine-games-hit-with-staff-layoffs

Gizmodo interviewed Patricia Summersett, Zelda's English Voice Actor https://gizmodo.com/zelda-tears-of-kingdom-patricia-summersett-interview-1850440189

A reminder of how easily companies can scrub out the name of some of their biggest contributors https://twitter.com/WeAreJoel/status/1661172665980276737

Playstation enters a partnership with the Women's National Basketball Association https://sonyinteractive.com/en/press-releases/2023/playstation-and-wnba-announce-multi-year-partnership/

COO of board game publisher Alderac makes sexist comments after designer Elizabeth Hargrave pointed out the gender disparity of the industry https://kotaku.com/board-game-sexism-women-designers-representation-1850472739

"Get in the Car, Loser!" lead developer Christine Love is getting back into streaming https://www.twitch.tv/christine_love

Guild Esports and Sky UK (TV broadcaster) launch their No Room For Abuse campaign to prevent women being harassed when playing online https://www.gamesindustry.biz/guild-and-sky-uk-launches-no-room-for-abuse-campaign

Marvelous Showcase announces two new Story of Seasons and Rune Factory game in development https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMa-Aj3yF4g

Actor Grace Van Dien joins esports group FaZe Clan https://twitter.com/FaZeClan/status/1661809830221283347

Coming attractions :

Summer Games Fest returns online and in-person at the YouTube Theater, Los Angeles 8/6 https://www.summergamefest.com/

15/6 deadline to apply to the Canada Media Fund for up to $450,000 CAD for VR and AR projects https://cmf-fmc.ca/news/canada-and-france-launch-new-joint-incentive-for-virtual-and-augmented-reality-projects/

GDC Showcase 27-29/6 (book tickets before June to save $40) https://gdconf.com/

Thanks for reading this week's instalment and thank you for your patience - I'm not entirely settled on publishing these on Sundays yet as I find my feet with this. Also I'd initially wanted to write about the internal controversy that's come up from Grace Van Dien joining FaZe Clan, so I'd delayed this a little to try to do it justice, but the story's still developing, so look forward to a report on it next time!

[tamanna31]

Third-party Logistics Market Segments and Key Trends 2024-2030

Third-party Logistics Industry Overview

The global third-party logistics market size was estimated at USD 1,095.85 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1% from 2024 to 2030.

The development of transport infrastructure in Asia and Middle East, the thriving growth of the e-commerce sector, and the development of new technologies are expected to significantly contribute to the market growth. Shippers are focusing on outsourcing the transport activity to enhance their operations and cost-effectiveness. The increased working capital and globalization lead to the demand for efficient inventory management services. Moreover, the restructuring of the brick and mortar business model continues to provide dynamic growth to the industry.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the Third-party Logistics Market

The changing global supply chain to become more customer-centric enables companies to outsource their supply chain activities to focus on adaptability and responsiveness. Moreover, the volatile international documentation procedure and customs rules & regulations need the expertise to handle the complex supply chain activity. As a result, small and medium-sized businesses are also leveraging third party logistics (3PL) services.

The rise of e-commerce and digital phenomenon, also called 'The Amazon Effect', has changed consumer expectations and buying behavior. End-users are seeking unparalleled expectations in terms of convenience, cost, control, and choice. Omni-channel operation demands reliable, fast, and free shipping services, which has resulted in companies adopting a new business model to provide low-cost and on-demand delivery services. 3PL companies embrace various modifications in supply chain management to address the notable transformations and challenges that e-commerce presents.

The 3PL companies are shifting their focus from long-haul delivery to just-in-time delivery. The suppliers are also transitioning from multiple storage facilities to a single warehouse location. To accommodate an increase in last-mile delivery, 3PL companies invest in smaller trucks and vans, which can support shorter and more frequent deliveries. In the coming years, last-mile delivery is presumed to be one of the key areas of focus for logistics companies.

Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) is the step ahead that can manage resources, infrastructure, technology, and even external 3PL to provide a holistic supply chain solution. The 4PL companies offer comprehensive consulting services in addition to transport operations. The service includes logistics strategy, inbound and outbound logistics, inventory planning and management, business planning, and analytics. Deloitte, Accenture plc, BDP International, and DB Schenker Logistics are some of the companies that are offering 4PL services. 4PL is a relatively new concept, but it is expected to gain momentum in the coming years from medium and large businesses seeking a complete transportation solution.

Browse through Grand View Research's Automotive & Transportation Industry Research Reports.

The global supply chain management market size was valued at USD 23,265.4 million in 2023 and is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2% from 2024 to 2030.

The global transportation management system market size was evaluated at USD 13.61 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.4% from 2024 to 2030.

Key Companies profiled:

BDP International

Burris Logistics

H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.

CEVA Logistics

DSV

DB Schenker Logistics

FedEx

B. Hunt Transport, Inc.

Kuehne + Nagel

Nippon Express

United Parcel Service of America, Inc.

XPO Logistics, Inc

Yusen Logistics Co. Ltd.

Key Third-party Logistics Company Insights

Some of the key players operating in the market include Burris Logistics, and FedEx among others.

Burris Logistics is a U.S.-based family-owned and privately held logistics company having expertise in refrigerated warehousing, food-service redistribution, and retail specialty work. The company uses its in-house software for logistical operations, thereby reducing the time and cutting down costs.

FedEx offers a vast portfolio of e-commerce, transportation, and business services. The company’s operations and activities are categorized under four reportable business segments, namely FedEx Freight, FedEx Express, FedEx Services, and FedEx Ground.

DB Schenker Logistics, and CEVA Logistics. are some of the emerging market participants in the target market.

DB Schenker Logistics, a German company, is involved in providing integrated service solutions. The company specializes in the exchange of goods in ocean and air freight, land transport, and contract logistics.

CEVA Logistics is a Dutch logistics company formed by the merger of EGL Global Logistics and TNT Logistics. CEVA is a non-asset-based supply chain management company, which offers several services based on its Contract Logistics and Freight Management expertise, either on a stand-alone basis or in combination.

Recent Developments

In December 2023, Yusen Logistics Co. Ltd. entered into a strategic partnership with Pickle Robot Company, a leader in the field of physical Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotic automation. Plans envisaged commencing the collaboration with the implementation of Pickle Unload solutions at Yusen Logistics Co. Ltd.'s Contract Logistics Group trans-loading operation located in Long Beach, California. By integrating the cutting-edge solution, Yusen Logistics Co. Ltd. will be able to reduce the physical workload for its employees and enhance service reliability. The partnership reflected Yusen Logistics Co. Ltd.’s dedication to introducing the most advanced robotics automation solutions within its warehouses, with the ultimate goal of providing superior service to its valued customers.

In September 2023, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. announced the opening of a new warehouse facility of 400,000 sq. ft. The warehouse is equipped with 154 dock doors and has the capacity to accommodate up to 700 trailers. This expansion enabled the company to extend its presence for trade along the Mexico border and diversify supply chains to ensure efficient transportation and logistics operations along The Port of Laredo.

Order a free sample PDF of the Third-party Logistics Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.

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All you need to know on how to Apply for Administrative Officer  Job vacancy at Community Trust Network (CTN) can be accessed here on Ejes Gist News.  Community Trust Network (CTN) is a leading International Education Agency in Nigeria with years of professional student placement and visa counseling service experience representing and placing students into Foundation, Undergraduate, Postgraduate and PHD degree Programs at top and world ranked institutions around the world mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States of America and Canada. We will guide you through the process by providing valuable information, to make sure that you attend the institution of your dream. Also Apply for Apply for Strategy Officer at the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) CTN it is not just about consulting and providing you with some guides and tons of information resources but delivering a service that outlines for you a straightforward, customized and a detailed action plan to make it through. From applying for your visa to applying to the colleges and finally adjusting in the country you looking to study in, we are by your side every step of the way making the process, effortlessly. We are recruiting to fill the position below:   Job Title: Administrative Officer  Job vacancy at Community Trust Network (CTN) Location: Abuja Employment Type: Full Time The Role The post holder will oversee the organisation's administrative duties. You will advise and guide clients on undergraduate and postgraduate recruitment issues across the organisation, including support with visa applications and advice for clients who require travel and tour visa services. You will manage the gathering and use of data to inform the organisation’s strategy and contribute to decision-making concerning the organisation’s expansion program. You will promote and raise awareness of the organisation’s services with external interest groups by supporting and organising recruitment events and representing the organisation. Principal duties: Provide advice to clients regarding their school, work or tourist visa process Support applicant to complete the application forms and put together all requirements for any visa type Support the line manager in developing the organisation’s activities Support clients with bookings like accommodation, flights and car hire Provide general administrative duties within the organisation Liaise with the institutions, schools, employers or event organisers on the progress of any application made Liaise with the embassies on visa application and provide appropriate information to the applicant Requirements Qualification: Customer Service or Business Management related qualification Experience: 2 – 4 years working in the travel and tour industry Qualities: Good knowledge of computer Good customer skills Willingness to learn Working knowledge of student recruitment, travel and tour Ability to work under pressure Benefits Salary - From N200,000 / month Commission on meeting target Company phone & laptop   How to Apply for Administrative Officer at Community Trust Network (CTN) Interested and qualified candidates should forward their CV to: recruitment@communitytrustnetwork.co.uk using the Job Title as the subject of the email Application Deadline  30th September, 2024.

[globalmarketresearchreport1]

Can Artificial Hair Products Meet the Increasing Consumer Demand for Versatility and Style?

Introduction

The false hair products market, which includes wigs, hair extensions, and other artificial hair solutions, is expanding as consumers increasingly seek aesthetic enhancements and versatile styling options. This market is driven by fashion trends, advancements in hair technology, and a growing demand for non-permanent hair alterations.

Market Dynamics

Drivers:

Fashion Trends: The growing popularity of various hairstyles and hair colors drives demand for false hair products. Consumers seek to emulate trends without committing to permanent changes.

Technological Advancements: Improvements in artificial hair materials and manufacturing techniques enhance the quality and realism of false hair products, making them more appealing to consumers.

Convenience: False hair products offer a quick and non-permanent solution for changing hairstyles, appealing to those who value versatility and ease of use.

Challenges:

Quality Perception: Despite advancements, some consumers still perceive artificial hair as inferior compared to natural hair. Overcoming this perception requires continuous innovation and quality improvements.

Price Sensitivity: High-quality false hair products can be expensive, and price sensitivity among consumers can impact market growth. Offering affordable options while maintaining quality is a challenge for manufacturers.

Opportunities:

Emerging Markets: Rising disposable incomes and changing fashion preferences in emerging markets present growth opportunities. Countries in Asia-Pacific and Latin America are showing increased interest in false hair products.

Product Innovation: Developing new materials and technologies, such as heat-resistant fibers and customizable options, can attract a broader consumer base and differentiate products in the market.

Regional Analysis

The false hair products market exhibits diverse growth patterns across regions:

North America: A leading market due to high consumer demand for fashion and beauty products. The U.S. and Canada are significant contributors, driven by a robust beauty and personal care industry.

Europe: Exhibits steady growth, with strong demand for high-quality and fashionable false hair products. Countries like the UK, France, and Germany are key markets.

Asia-Pacific: The fastest-growing region, driven by increasing fashion consciousness and disposable incomes. China, India, and Japan are notable markets with growing demand for diverse hair products.

Latin America and Middle East & Africa: Emerging markets with potential for growth. Rising consumer spending and evolving fashion trends are driving interest in false hair products.

Sample pages of Report: https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/market-reports/global-false-hair-products-market

Market Segmentation

By Product Type:

Wigs: Full coverage options that provide a complete hairstyle change.

Hair Extensions: Add-ons that enhance length and volume.

Hairpieces and Toppers: Partial solutions for specific styling needs.

By Material:

Synthetic Hair: Affordable and versatile, with advancements improving quality.

Human Hair: Premium option offering a natural look and feel.

By Distribution Channel:

Online Retail: Increasingly popular due to convenience and a wide range of options.

Specialty Stores: Physical stores offering personalized consultations and product selections.

Competitive Landscape

Market Share: Major players such as Godrej Consumer Products, Rebecca Hair Products, and Hair Club dominate the market with extensive product lines and established brand reputations. These companies leverage their market presence and innovation to maintain competitive advantages.

Price Control: Large players can influence pricing through economies of scale and brand recognition. They often set industry standards for quality and pricing.

Challenges from Smaller Companies: Smaller companies offer unique products and cater to niche markets, challenging larger players by focusing on specific consumer needs or trends.

Key Players:

Godrej Consumer Products: A leading player in the global false hair market, known for its diverse product offerings.

Rebecca Hair Products: Offers high-quality synthetic and human hair products.

Hair Club: Provides personalized solutions and has a strong market presence.

Report Overview : https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/form/746?name=Sample

Future Outlook

New Product Development: Yes, product innovation plays a crucial role in the false hair market. Advances in materials and technology enhance product quality and appeal, driving market growth.

Targeting Youngsters: Companies are targeting younger consumers with trendy and customizable hair products. This demographic is drawn to fashion-forward and versatile solutions, making them a key focus for marketing strategies.

Conclusion

The false hair products market is expanding, driven by fashion trends, technological advancements, and consumer demand for versatile styling options. While challenges such as quality perception and price sensitivity exist, opportunities in emerging markets and product innovation offer promising growth prospects. Companies that focus on quality, innovation, and understanding consumer preferences will be well-positioned for success in this dynamic market.

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CCTV Camera Market Trends, Business Opportunity 2024-2036

Research Nester’s recent market research analysis on “CCTV Camera Market: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2035” delivers a detailed competitors analysis and a detailed overview of the global CCTV Camera market in terms of market segmentation by product type, application, end-user, and by region.

Growing Concern for the Prevalence of Chronic Diseases to Drive Growth of Global CCTV Camera Market

The global CCTV Camera market is estimated to grow majorly on account of the increased number of women being infertile. Also, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is estimated to generate a demand for CCTV Camera for research purposes and for developing effective medication procedures. In addition, the high amount of investments being made in the research and development activities by major key players in the market for stem cells, and the recent escalation in government support for developing novel medical equipment are also some of the factors that are projected to create a positive outlook for market expansion during the forecast period.

Request Free Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-4229

Some of the major growth factors and challenges that are associated with the growth of the global CCTV Camera market are:

Growth Drivers:

Surge in Investments in the Research and Development Sector Globally

Rising Government Support

Challenges:

High maintenance costs along with the availability of alternative procedures and low awareness level are some of the major factors anticipated to hamper the growth of the global CCTV Camera market.

By application, the global CCTV Camera market is segmented into stem cells, oocytes & embryos, sperm, semen, testicular tissue, hepatocytes, and others. Out of these, the oocytes & embryos segment is estimated to hold the largest share of the market by the end of 2035. The major factor attributed to the segment growth is the rising number of female infertility cases around the globe. As per the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is revealed that in the United States, 1 out 5 women falling under the age group of 15 to 49 years are unable to get pregnant even after trying for one year.

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By region, the North America CCTV Camera market is to generate the highest revenue by the end of 2035. This growth is anticipated by increasing healthcare expenditure on research and development activities by pharmaceutical and other biotech companies. Also, the rising geriatric population along with the expansion of the large pool of patients are estimated to create a positive outlook.

This report also provides the existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the global CCTV Camera market which includes company profiling of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Merck KGaA, BioLife Solutions, Inc., HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Cryologic Pty. Ltd., PromoCell GmbH, Corning Incorporated, The Cooper Companies Inc., Saint-Gobain, Cytiva, and other key players.

Access our detailed report at: https://www.researchnester.com/reports/cctv-cameras-market/1298

About Research Nester-

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